Genus and species: Hibiscus moscheutos. 
Varietal denomination: Hardy Hibiscus xe2x80x98Whit XXxe2x80x99.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new and distinct variety or cultivar of the herbaceous perennial, Hibiscus moscheutos, commonly known as hardy hibiscus or common mallow.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hardy hibiscus is native to wet areas over much of the eastern third of the United States and has been grown as a garden plant since the early settlements. The new and distinct plant of this invention was discovered as a selected seedling whose parent was a single, large, isolated but open pollinated parent that had been growing on the same farmstead in north central Oklahoma for over 30 years. The parent plant was about seven to nine feet tall and produced pink flowers that were about eight to eleven inches in diameter.
The inventor of this new and distinct hardy hibiscus gathered a large quantity of seeds from the parent plant and planted them all. Although only a fraction of the planted seeds germinated, 854 seedlings resulted and were transplanted into rows in a field as part of a breeding program. The new plant of this invention was one of those seedlings and was distinctly different from both the parent plant and its other siblings, being characterized as having a dwarf growth habit, dense, stiff branches, unusually dark green leaves and blood red flowers.
This new and distinct plant has been asexually propagated. Asexual reproduction of the new plant was accomplished by rooting cuttings taken from the original plant in Stillwater, Okla. Each successive reproduction of the new plant by cuttings has shown the unique features that characterize this new hardy hibiscus indicating that the unique features of this plant are stable. Growth, flowering, flower color, foliage color and disease resistance remain constant with the xe2x80x98Whit XXxe2x80x99 cultivar.
The present invention resulted from the discovery of a new and distinct variety of hibiscus, Hibiscus moscheutos, which has been given the cultivar name xe2x80x98Whit XXxe2x80x99. xe2x80x98Whit XXxe2x80x99 is characterized as being dwarf in stature relative both to the species and to all other seedlings from the same parent. This new variety of hibiscus is further characterized as having blood red flowers having a diameter of between about 3.5 and about six inches and as having unusually dark green, broadly lanceolate leaves. The new variety of hibiscus has a uniform growth habit of dense, stiff branches. Flower production occurs from early July to frost in north central Oklahoma.